“Chat” sessions are well known today, and available via Internet Service Providers and other companies. Typically, there is a server program and a client program that enable the chat sessions. Examples of existing chat session programs are IBM Sametime instant messaging program, Microsoft MSN Messenger, Microsoft Windows Messenger, Yahoo Instant Messenger, and AOL Instant Messenger. To set up a chat session, one person at a workstation checks if another person is currently “on line” at another computer. If so, the one person selects the other person and then types a message into a chat session text field on the one person's workstation. In response, the workstation of the one person sends the message to the workstation of the other person where it appears in a text field on the workstation of the other person prefaced by the name of the one person. The other person can respond simply by typing into another text field that the workstation provides for a response, and the response is sent to and appears in a text field on the workstation of the one person prefaced by the name of the other person. The foregoing process can continue, with other messages being sent by either person, as long the chat session persists. The exchange of messages is essentially real time. Each person can also add one or more other people to the chat session by selecting their name from a list of individuals or groups (sometimes called a “buddy list”) that the person previously designated for potentially adding to chat sessions. The list is typically maintained on the person's own workstation, and cannot be accessed from any other person's workstation. The selection of a person or group from the list to add to the chat session is made using a mouse and cursor to select the individual or group from the list. A person can also add another person to the chat session by looking up the other person in a directory, and then selecting the other person from the directory. After being added to a chat session, any person so added can likewise type a message in a text field on their workstation, and the message will appear, prefaced by the name of the sender, on the workstations of all other people in the chat session.
While the foregoing chat session functions are effective in communicating the messages in real time and adding people to a chat session, it would be advantageous to simplify the process of adding people to a chat session while maintaining requisite security.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to simplify the process of adding people to a chat session while maintaining an effective level of security.